Apparatus for applying squeegee strips to tire fabrics



July 29, 1952 H. c. BOSTWICK 2,605,196

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SQUEEGEE STRIPS 'TO TIRE FABRICS Filed June 1. 1949 4 sheets -sheet l I N V EN TOR. Hm: v C fiamw r BY ay Mm Wimp/76 w y 1952 H. c. BOSTWICKI 2,605,196

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SQUEEGEE STRIPS TOTIRE FABRICS Filed Jun e 1, 1949 INVENTOR. #51148) C fiarrw oe 167424, @446 vzlwn Awe/"new y 1952 H. c. BOSTWICK 2,605,196

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SQUEEGEE STRIPS TO TIRE FABRICS Filed June 1, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 BY 6w, Qu d/m1 July 29, 1952 H. c. BOSTWICK APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SQUEEGEE STRIPS TO TIRE FABRICS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 1, 1949 INVENTOR flan/er (I fiaJrw/oe Patented July 29, 1952 APPARATUS FOR- APPLYING SQUEEGEE 1 STRIPS T TIRE FABRICS Henry C. Bostwick, Coventry Township, Summit County, Ohio, assignor to The Akron Standard Mold Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of 1 Ohio This invention is concerned with the application fof a squeegee strip to a fabric strip to be used'in building a tire, the squeegee strip being fed into contact with the usual fabric strip as the same is moving to a place ofiuse or storage as,'for instance, aservicing machine. 1 "Heretofore the practice has. been to put the squeegee strip in contact with the. fabric strip moving into the servicer and. by this frictional engagement pull the squeegee strip off its supply roll. This, however, stretched the fabric strip, which was detrimental asit changed the angles of the cords in the fabric, resulting in a weakening of the tire subsequently produced. object of my invention is to provide forsuch application of the squeegee strip; to the fabric strip without elTe'cting-distortionof' the fabric strip.

I avoid the stretching of the main strip as the squeegee strip is applied to'it,; by providing an intermediate mechanism betweenthe main fabric strip' moving into the servicer. and the squeegee strip coming off its supply roll, this intermediate mechanism positively feeding the squeegee strip onto the main strip at the same speed as that. at which the latter is, advancing- The particular apparatus illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter described for performing the above outlined operation is also included within my invention. v The drawings disclose my squeegee applying apparatus in conjunction with the'servicing machine of the type shown, for instance, in my Patent 2,242,8l0i'ssued'May 20, 1941, so that the squeegee strip isapplied; to the fabric strip as'they are moving ontothe stock receiving roll ofthe servicing machine.

"In the drawingsFig. l is a front elevation of the squeegee-apparatus in position in front of a, servicing machine outlined in'broken lines; Fig. 2 i'sfan elevation of the swivel support for the squeegee. apparatus; Fig- 3' is an elevation of the same'parts in position at right angles to Fig. 2; Fig. 4"isa hori'zontal. section on theline 4-4. on Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a front elevation. partly broken away of the squeegee apparatus in position to coact with the servicing machine; Fig. 6 is a vertical section through'the roll-supporting shafts of the Squeegee apparatus, as indicated by the line 6 6 on Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a vertical section (indicated by the line 1-1 on Fig. 5) through the transmission mechanism for feeding the squeegee stripby means of the rotation of a stock roll of a servicing machine, portions of the servicing machine being shown inbroken lines; Figs. 8 and 9 are end elevations of the squeegee apparatus, the position being indicated by the line 8--8 on Fig.

Application Ju e 1 1949, serial No. 96,552 12 Claims. (Cl. I 54-10) I 2 5, Fig. 8' being in the active position and Fig. 9i nidle position, each of these views showing portions of the servicing machine in broken lines; Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the squeegee apparatus in conjunction with the servicing machine; Fig. 11 is a plan, intermediately brokenout, of the feeding table anddriven roller for conducting the 'main strip and the squeegee 'stripto the servicing machine, the position of this plan being indicated by the line l= IH on Fig. 12; Fig. 12 is an elevation of the stock feeding table and the squeegee strip drive, showing thedrive in its active position in full lines, and in an inactive position in broken lines.

In Fig. 1, I have shown in broken lines a servicing' machine designated A having a number of strip carrying rolls a each associated with a linercarrying roll a, having a wound-up canvas liner anchored to the roll a. Means not shown, but illustrated for instance, in my patent heretofore mentioned, rotates the lowermost roll a so a fabric may be'wound up with an interposed canvas liner on such roll at. When'a rolla has been loaded, the set of rolls may be shifted to bring a succeeding roll into the lower-most position for loading. My squeegee apparatus coacts with the bottom-most strip roll a to cause the squeegee strip to be wound up onsuch roll in conjunction with the normal fabric strip B as the same passes to the upper region of such bottom-most roll a.

The squeegee strip C is mounted with a canvas liner D on two rolls which are held in a carrying apparatus which is swiveled on a vertical axis at the side of the servicing machine. This enables the loaded squeegee apparatus to be swung from the idle. position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 to; the active full-line position. When in its active position the intermediate transmission mechanism between the lower squeegee roll and the lowermost stock roll also becomes active. This transmission mechanism, as hereinafter. more fully explained, has a driving roller opposed to the stock-receiving roll of theservicing machine and thus frictionally engages. the main fabric strip and the surmountin'g squeegeeistrip as. they pass into the servicing machine, and this driving roller through suitable gearing operates, at the same peripheral speed, a roller coacting' with a rollin the squeegee apparatus and effecting a positive drive of the squeegee strip therefrom.

The roll-carrier of the squeegee apparatus comprises av pair of spaced plates In and II, between which are a pair of rigidly mounted distance sleeves l2 and I3. In these. sleeves are journaled cantilevered shafts l4 and. [5V which. carry re'-.

spectively a pair of rolls l5 and H. The roll it is the roll which carries the wound-up squeegee strip C and the interposed sheet liner D, the lower end of which is attached to the roll ii. The roll H thus serves as a take-up roll for the squeegee liner 33 when the squeegee itself is delivered from the liner D to; the [main strip B passing to the roll a in the servicing machine.

I provide a suitable brake restricting the free rotation of the squeegee supply roller l5. As

shown in Figs. 5 and 6 this brake comprises an anchored strap [8 embracing a grooved pulley i9 tight on the shaft M, the strap being tensionedx by a spring 18a adjustably anchored to-the frame Ill, ll.

The frame [0, to a transverse sleeve 2| fixedly secured to the u 12 and I3 is pivoted at 22' "squeegee strip 0 and its liner D, as illustrated in the diagram roller 51 is coacting with the roller a to press between them the fabric B and the squeegee Fig. 10. At the same time the strip'C. As the roller a. is rotated by a mechanism carried in a servicing machine to carry top of a, vertical cylindrical standard which is swivelly mounted in a stationary tubular bearing bracket 30, rigidly mounted on the top of any suitable supportyas the support 33 shown in broken lines in Fig. 1. The post 26 has a suitable-thrust bearing and a bearing for rotary movement in the tubular bracket 30. I have,

shown two roller bearings 31 and 32 for effecting such swiveled support.

Extending upwardly from the swiveled sleeve 2 I are a pair of rigid arms 23 which have welded to .them forwardly extending arms 24,. Figs. 2 and 3, these forwardly extending arms carrying a cross pin with which coacts a locking bar p ivotally connected to the rocking frame [0, I I. Such bar is shown at 40 in Figs. 1, 8 and 9. It is pivoted to the frame at-M. It has on its underside a shoulder shown as provided by a notch 42 and has'a downwardly projecting, stop 43. In. the idle position of the parts the notch 42 embraces the cross pin 25,.as shown in Fig. 9. A'tension spring 26 between the frame Ill, II and the cross pin 25, brings theframe when released to the idle position of Fig. 9. 7

To place the frame H3, I l in its active position, it is swung by the lifted rod 45 about the pivotal axis 22 until the stop 43 engages the outer surface ofthe pin 25 and thus prevents further swinging. A rod-fi5 welded to frame plate H and projecting forwardly furnishes means for manually turning the whole squeegee apparatus on its vertical axis to carry it from the idle or loading position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 to the active position shown in full lines in that figure. The-frame and its squeegee rolls may be locked in-either the loading or the active position by means of a latch 29 pivoted at 21 to a collar 28 rigid on the rotary post 25. This latch has a depending arm which is adapted to be held by gravity in either oftwo notches 35 or 36 in the tubular pedestal 3B. 5

Suitably mounted on the servicing machine, or other apparatus with: which the squeegee strip is used, is a table provided with suitable side guides 5|. The fabric strip is fed along this table to its position of use or storage, as for instance, the roll'a. in Fig.1.

Rigid with the table 50 are a pair of brackets 52 carrying a transverse shaft 53 on which is pivotally secured a hollow frame 54, and at the other end an arm 55. The frame 54 and arm 55 carry a shaft 56 carrying a roller 51 which may bear against the material on'the-lowermost servicing 'supplyroll a. Around the shaft 53 is a roller 58 of the same diameter as the roller 51. The roller 58 is suitably geared with the roller'51 in a manner to cause the roller 58 to its top portion away from the table 50, thus winding up the fabric strip B, such movement broken lines in Fig. v12.

rotates the roller 51 so that its lowermost surface engaging the squeegee strip is traveling in the same direction and at the same speed as the fabric strip at that point. The gearing between the roller 51 and the roller 53 causes the roller 58 and hence the take-up roll I! to rotate so that their adjacent surfaces travel in the same direction and at the same peripheral speed as the rollers a and 51.

It results from the above-described transmission mechanism that the squeegee strip is laid on the fabric strip as the same travels to the stock roll at the same speed as the fabric strip is traveling so that no strain is placed on the fabric strip and no tendency to stretch it;

The gearingheretofore mentioned between the rollers 51 and 58 comprises a sprocket B0 rigid with the roller 51, a sprocket of the same size 6| rigid with a gear 62 which meshes with a gear of the same size 63. on the roller 58. A sprocket chain 65 connects the sprockets 60 and BI. This mechanism, as already mentioned, causes the roller 58 .to be rotated by the roller '51 at the same peripheral speed but in the opposite direction. Thus the undersurface of the roller 51 and the upper surface of the roller 58, both of which coact with the fabric strip 13 and the superimposed squeegee strip C, are necessarily moving in the same direction and at the same speed. I

In the idle position of the squeegee apparatus the gear housing 54 is swung back into idle position. We provide the housing with a bail or handle 59 by which it may be manually turned on the pivotal axis into the position shown in When the squeegee apparatus is not to coact. with the servicing machine, the gear housing 54, the roller 51 and the supporting arm 55 at the opposite end of the roller are swung back to the idle position shown in broken lines in Fig. 12, thus leaving the servicing machine'in normal condition for use in the ordinary manner with stock passing over the table but without the application of the squeegee strip.

Whenthe squeegee strip is to be applied the roller 5'! and its carrying arms is swung into the position indicated in Fig. 1' and in full lines in Fig. 12 and then the loaded squeegee apparatus is swung about the vertical axis of the stem 20 to bring the apparatus into the position shown in full lines in Fig. l, where the take-up roller l1 automatically comes over'the driven roller 58 in position to coact' therewith through the intermediacy of the fabric strip B and the squeegee strip C as they pass to the servicing roll a.

I may recapitulate the travel of the different fabrics, illustrated by the'di-agram (Fig. as follows:

As the stock fabric 13 goes to the stock roll a, it is surmounted by the squeegee strip C from the squeegee roll it at the same time as the stock and squeegee strips are wound up on the stock roll. A liner strip E from the liner roller a is wound up with the stock and surmounting squeegee strip, and as the squeegee strip Cis pulled off of its roll its liner D is Wound up on the liner roll IT. The friction roll 51 co'acts with the roll a to press the fabric B and squeegee C between them. This drives the roll 5 The roll 51 is geared with the roll 58 to drive it in the opposite direction at the same peripheral speed. The roll 58 engages the underside of the fabric strip and presses it, the squeegee and the squeegee liner between this roll and the r011 Accordingly, the squeegee strip is pulled off of its roll at the same speed that the fabric strip is advanced to the stock roll, and there is no stretching of the stock material.

It will be seen that I have devised a simple apparatus, provided with a squeegee carrying roll and a liner roll therefor, adapted to be mounted adjacent a standard servicing machine, and operating whenever desired to carry a roll with a squeegee strip into coaction with transmission mechanism readily placed between an ordinary feed table and the receiving roll of the servicing machine, for causing the squeegee strip to adhere to the fabric strip without stretching or otherwise distorting the fabric strip, as they pass to the servicing machine. My apparatus is simple in construction and readily applied to existing servicing machines of various types. It may also be used if desired for feeding the squeegee strip to the fabric strip as the same passes to other means of use than a servicing machine, as, for example, directly to a tire building drum in position to receive the stock, in place of the lowermost servicing roll, as shown in the drawings.

I claim:

1. The combination of a servicing machine having a stock roll and mechanism for rotating it to wind up a stock fabric strip, means for carrying a wound-up squeegee strip, an unwound portion of which may engage the stock fabric strip in advance of its passage to the stock roll, a roller coacting with the stock roll and rotated thereby, a second roller compressing the squeegee strip and stock fabric against a roll of the squeegee apparatus, and means driven by the first-mentioned roller for rotating said second roller at the same peripheral speed as the first roller.

2. The combination of a roll adapted to wind up a main stock strip, a roll carrying a squeegee strip, an unwound portion of said squeegee strip being adapted to engage the stock strip in advance of the wind-up roll for the stock strip, two rollers, one engaging the top surface of the squeegee strip on the main strip and forcing the main strip against the wind-up roll therefor and the other engaging the undersurface of the main strip and forcing the squeegee strip thereon against a counter-pressure roller for the squeegee strip, and means for rotating two said rollers in the opposite direction at the same peripheral speed.

3. In the combination, with a roll adapted to receive a stock strip surmounted by a squeegee strip, a roller acting in opposition to said roll and engaging the squeegee strip and stock strip between them, a roll carrying a wound-up squeesee strip and liner, a take-up roll for said liner, a second roller adapted to engage the undersurface of the stock strip and compress it and the squeegee against the take-up roll of the squeegee apparatus, and means for rotating said two rollers at the same peripheral speed and in opposit directions.

4. In the combination, with a roll adapted to receive a stock strip surmounted by a squeegee strip, a roller acting in opposition to said roll and engaging the upper surface of the squeegee strip and the stock strip between them, a roll carrying a wound-up squeegee strip and liner, a take-up roll for said liner, a second roller adapted to engage the under-surface of the stock strip and compress it and the squeegee strip against the take-up roll of the squeegee apparatus, a gear on the under-engaging roller, a second gear meshing with said gear, and an endless sprocket chain connecting sprocket wheels on said second gear and said upper-engaging roller.

5. The combination, with a servicing machine having a wind-up roll and means for rotating it, of a feed table adjacent said roller along which a main stock strip may be fed to the roll, means for carrying a wound-up squeegee strip adapted to overlie the main stock strip on the feed table, transmission mechanism located between the feed table and the wind-up stock roll of the servicing machine, said transmission mechanism including a roller adapted to coact with stock being wound up on the servicing machine to rotate said roller, a second roller adapted to coact with the squeegee strip while the stock strip and squeegee strip engage each other, gearing connecting said rollers in a manner to rotate them in opposite directions at the same peripheral speed, whereby the squeegee strip is positively withdrawn from its support at the same speed as the stock strip is advanced to the servicing machine.

6. The combination of a roll for utilizing a stock strip and a surmounting squeegee strip, a table along which said stock strip may be fed'to said roll, a frame pivoted to the end of the table adjacent the stock receiving roll, said frame carrying a roller adapted to engage the stock on said stock-receiving roll, a second roller mounted coaXially with said pivoted frame and adapted to engage the underside of the strip and press it and the surmounting squeegee strip against a takeup roll of the squeegee apparatus, an idler gear meshing with a gear on the last-mentioned roll, and an endless sprocket chain and pair of sprocket wheels respectively on the idler gear and the first-mentioned roller whereby the firstmentioned roller drives the second-mentioned roller at the same speed in the opposite rotary direction.

7. The combination with a movably mounted squeegee apparatus including a roll adapted to carry a wound-up squeegee strip with an interposed liner and a take-up roll for the liner, of means for feeding a main fabric strip, said mounting allowing the take-up roll of the squeegee apparatus to be brought into engagement with the main fabric strip, a roller on the opposite side of the main fabric strip coacting with the liner roller, a roller on the other side of the main fabric strip coacting with the windup roll of the servicing machine, whereby the latter roller is rotated by the servicing machine,

and gearing connecting the said two rollers, whereby the roller coacting with the wind-up roll of the servicing machine rotates the roller coacting with the squeegee apparatus at the rollfor the liner, means for swivelly mounting said apparatus so that it may be swung from idle position into position to coact with a machine utilizing a tire strip which the squeegee strip surmounts, a roller coacting with a roll of said machine to press the fabric strip and squeegee strip between them and be rotated by the advancing of said strips, a second roll on the underside of the fabric roll coacting with the take-up roll of the squeegee apparatus topress the tire strip and surmounting squeegee strip between them, and gearing between said upper and under rolls causing the under roll to rotate at the same peripheral speed as the upper roll and in the opposite direction.

9. The combination, with means for progressing a stock strip of fabric surmounted by a squeegee strip, of a swivelly mounted squeegee apparatus adapted to carry a wound-up squeegee strip and adapted to be swung on its swivel axis to present the squeegee strip to said fabric strip While the latter is unwound, and means for positively unrolling the squeegee strip from the squeegee apparatus controlled by the means for progressing the stock strip.

10. In a squeegee carrying apparatus, the combination of a support, a standard swiveled therein on a vertical axis, a frame carried by the standard and pivoted thereto to swing on a horizontal axis, a pair of shafts carried by said frame and cantilevered to one side thereof and adapted to carry a squeegee roll and a liner roll, and a bar connected to the swinging frame and adapted to swing it on its pivot and provided with a shoulder adapted to coact with the stationary portion of the swiveled frame to hold the v swinging frame in a predetermined position.

11. The combination with means for progressing amain fabric strip toward a fabric-receiving apparatus, a squeegee apparatus having a roll carrying a wound-up squeegee strip with a free unwound portion in face engagement with said fabric strip, a roller engaging the fabric strip at its point of engagement with said unwound free portion ofthe squeegee strip, means urging said roller against the fabric strip and unwound free portion of the squeegee strip, and means under control of said fabric progressing means for rotating the roller to unwind and feed the squeegee strip onto the fabric strip while urging both strips toward the fabric receiving apparatus at the same speed as the fabric strip is advanced.

12. In an apparatus for feeding a squeegee strip to tire fabric, the combination of means for carrying and winding a tire fabric, a roll carrying a wound squeegee strip, means for bringing an unwound portion of the tire fabric into face contact with an unwound free portion of the squeegee strip from the roll, a roller engaging and urging the unwound portion of the tire fabric into engagement with the unwound free portion of the squeegee strip and coacting therewith to unwind the squeegee strip from the roll and onto the fabric, independent means controlled by the tire fabric winding means for rotating the roller to positively push the fabric and squeegee strip at the same speed towards the fabric winding means.

HENRY C. BOSTWICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 290,553 Edson Dec. 18, 1883 788,133 Harrison et a1. Apr. 25, 1905 1,818,459- B-ryan Aug. 11, 1931 2,039,532 Heston May 5, 1938 2,041,990 Breth et a1. May 26, 1936 2,343,954 Carlin Mar. 14, 1944 2,346,903 C'affrey Apr. 18, 1944 2,395,020 Sternad Feb. 19, 1946 

1. THE COMBINATION OF A SERVICING MACHINE HAVING A STOCK ROLL AND MECHANISM FOR ROTATING IT TO WIND UP A STOCK FABRIC STRIP, MEANS FOR CARRYING A WOUND-UP SQUEEZE STRIP, AN UNWOUND PORTION OF WHICH MAY ENGAGE THE STOCK FABRIC STRIP IN ADVANCE OF ITS PASSAGE TO THE STOCK ROLL, A ROLLER COACTING WITH THE STOCK ROLL AND ROTATED THEREBY, A SECOND ROLLER COMPRESSING THE SQUEEGEE STRIP AND STOCK FABRIC AGAINST A ROLL OF THE SQUEEGEE APPARATUS, AND MEANS DRIVEN BY THE FIRST-MENTIONED ROLLER FOR ROTATING SAID SECOND ROLLER AT THE SAME PERIPHERAL SPEED AS THE FIRST ROLLER.
 10. IN A SQUEEGEE CARRYING APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION OF A SUPPORT, A STANDARD SWIVELED THEREIN ON A VERTICAL AXIS, A FRAME CARRIED BY THE STANDARD AND PIVOTED THERETO TO SWING ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS, A PAIR OF SHAFTS CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND CANTILEVERED TO ONE SIDE THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO CARRY A SQUEEGEE ROLL AND A LINER ROLL, AND A BAR CONNECTED TO THE SWINGING FRAME AND ADAPTED TO SWING IT ON ITS PIVOT AND PROVIDED WITH A SHOULDER ADAPTED TO COACT WITH THE STATIONARY PORTION OF THE SWIVELED FRAME TO HOLD THE SWINGING FRAME IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION. 